A four-lane section of Business Loop I-75, as it winds into downtown St. Ignace from Evergreen Shores, is a perfect example of a road that needs a diet, Dan Burden said. He recommended slimming the road from four travel lanes to two travel lanes with a center turn lane and small bicycle lanes on either side of the road. A similar recommendation was made to City Council by the North Huron Scenic Trail Association last year as part of a project to build a bicycle trail from St. Ignace to DeTour, but the idea was turned down after some residents responded negatively to it at a public hearing. Such configurations, which improve traffic flow, are being adopted around the country. (Photograph by Dan Burden) Building distinctive gateways into town, widening sidewalks, and narrowing roads to slow down traffic are three steps the City of St. Ignace should take to make the town more appealing to new residents and visitors and safer for pedestrians, a consultant has told the city. Crosswalks should be improved downtown and storefronts should be lit at night to add to the glow from streetlights, said walkability expert Dan Burden, who took a walking tour of the town in October and has shared his findings with the community. He also suggests more signs pointing out public parking areas, better parking arrangements downtown, and more sidewalks leading to the school.

A four-lane section of Business Loop I-75, viewed while heading toward Evergreen Shores from St. Ignace, is a perfect example of a road that needs a diet, Dan Burden said. A shift from four to three lanes would encourage walking and biking and actually make the road safer for motorized traffic, he said, based on national studies. (Photograph by Dan Burden) Four communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula are considering new ideas and creative solutions to draw people to visit and settle in the region. One of these ideas, studying and analyzing the walkability of the communities, has been completed in St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, and Munising, owing to a grant from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

At right: This photograph, included in a presentation by Dan Burden, shows an example of a mini traffic circle, something he suggested for intersections like the one at Portage Road and Marley Street in St. Ignace. These small roundabouts, he said, create a much safer environment for both cars and pedestrians than plain intersections and also allow for landscaping to transform a dull square of pavement into an attractive feature. (Photograph by Dan Burden) The tribe has funded programs like the walkability analysis through a $1.76 million Strategic Alliance for Health Project grant received in the fall of 2008, which has also funded the recently launched St. Ignace Elementary after-school program and provided tobacco-free-school signs to the school district.

A child plays on the sculpture of a fish, an example of a distinctive focal point walkability consultant Dan Burden suggested that St. Ignace could add to places like its Kiwanis Beach and American Legion Park to draw the eyes of visitors, give children something to climb on, and to leave an indelible, unique image in the minds of people who see it. (Photograph by Dan Burden) People in each community met in 2009 with Mr. Burden, a walkability expert, and answered questions about each town's strengths and weaknesses before taking Mr. Burden on a walking tour of the community. This group toured St. Ignace on foot on a chilly October 7 morning.

Mr. Burden submitted a report of his findings to each community in December and, now, supporters of his mission to make towns more livable and more friendly to pedestrians are preparing to present these findings and recommendations for improvements to local decision makers. The Strategic Alliance for Health group put together a presentation based on Mr. Burden's findings, which sets goals and makes recommendations for future improvements in the city.

Included in consultant Dan Burden's presentation to St. Ignace, this diagram illustrates many of the concepts he said would encourage pedestrians in the city. A median in the center of the street and 10-foot-wide lanes encourage motorists to drive around 25 miles per hour, he said, and a six-foot bicycle lane and ramp onto the sidewalk would attract bicyclists to the town. A buffer zone between the sidewalk and road filled with trees, planters, light poles, and other blocking features helps walkers feel safer, he said. Sidewalks should be a minimum of five feet, and much wider in commercial areas like downtown St. Ignace. In the background, a roundabout is shown, an alternative to fourway stops that he said can make intersections much safer for both drivers and pedestrians. (Photograph by Dan Burden) Among the ideas for improvement in St. Ignace are the addition of attractive gateways into town, improved visibility and accessibility to crosswalks, an on-street downtown parking management strategy, wider sidewalks, lit-up shopfronts at night, and improved signs for public parking areas. Creating mini traffic circles, narrowing roads, adding bicycle lanes along roads, installing more sidewalks leading to the school, and adding attractive focal points to draw the eyes of visitors are other suggestions to make St. Ignace visually unique.

Attractive gateways, the study reports, can be as simple as flowerpots along highway guardrails leading into downtown, and as intricate as giant archways, as long as they are inviting and let visitors know when they have entered or left the community.

A major element of walkable downtowns that is missing in St. Ignace is safe and welcoming crosswalks for pedestrians, Mr. Burden pointed out. The few marked pedestrian crossings on State Street use two faded paint lines on the pavement, perpendicular to the flow of traffic, markings that are difficult to see while driving. Without signs, pedestrians don't know if they have the right of way to cross.

The idea of improving these crosswalks to make them more visible has been taken on by the city's downtown development authority, which plans to address the issue this summer.

Recommendations suggest more crosswalks, better markings for crosswalks, signs announcing crossing pedestrians to traffic, and signs introducing St. Ignace as a “pedestrian friendly community.”

Sidewalks set back from the street, like the one in front of the Mackinac Grille, excessively wide driveways into businesses, and wide driving lanes all contribute to a dangerous and unwelcoming environment for pedestrians, Mr. Burden said, and these problems must be resolved.

To make the downtown a more vibrant place at night, he suggested asking business owners along State Street to light up their storefronts to create a more welcoming environment than the present setting of darkness, lit only by streetlights.

Better on-street parking could encourage drivers to visit local businesses, generate revenue for the city, and provide a buffer between pedestrians and traffic, Mr. Burden reported. He suggested the city adopt a parking management plan and consider new ideas, like back-in diagonal parking to help make parking easier downtown.

The width of downtown sidewalks is another important factor. While touring St. Ignace, he measured some spots of the downtown sidewalk as narrow as four feet, eight inches, while he recommended that downtown sidewalks be at least eight feet wide.

Buffer zones, which could be as simple as a planter strip with trees, are important to separate pedestrians on downtown sidewalks from traffic on the street, Mr. Burden reported. Police officers on bicycles in the downtown area, he said, could also give a greater sense of safety, support, and community to everyone.

While sidewalks must be widened, the road lanes need to be put on a diet. Mr. Burden said narrower lanes could improve safety for walkers by encouraging motorists to drive more slowly. State Street's lanes range from 11 feet at their narrowest to 20 feet at their widest.

Mr. Burden recommended roads in commercial districts of 9 feet to 10 feet wide, and said introducing buffers like grass islands in the center of the road at crosswalks can help make crossing busy streets safer and more welcoming for pedestrians.

The group that walked along with Mr. Burden in October noticed that, although city residents know exactly where public parking lots are located near downtown, current signs do not sufficiently guide visitors to these lots.

When the group reached the intersection of Marley Street and Portage Road, near the Mackinac County Courthouse, Mr. Burden suggested that four-way stop intersections like that one would be perfect candidates for a miniature traffic circle in the center of the road, which would slow down traffic and make it easier for pedestrians to cross the intersection safely.

In its report, the Strategic Alliance for Health also recommended adding more sidewalks in St. Ignace. To fund this improvement, they suggested that the city add a percentage to utility bills, and suggested that designated funding for sidewalks could also be sought at the state level. The group also recommended the city consider an ordinance prohibiting motorists from parking across sidewalks, a practice noticed by the group during the walk-through in October.

Using the idea of a “road diet,” the group suggested slimming lanes along Business Route I-75 toward Evergreen Shores, reducing from four lanes to three, and adding bike lanes on either side to encourage bicyclists.

A similar suggestion was made to St. Ignace City Council to be included in the proposed North Huron Scenic Pathway bicycle trail to DeTour, but was voted down after several residents and business owners decried the idea at a public hearing in 2009, saying it would create a hazardous mix of bicycles and vehicles and could hamper transportation to the new hospital and other destinations along the road.

Another key element of successful communities, Mr. Burden said, is creating visual focal points to help visitors associate the town with specific, positive images, and to make a striking and unique environment.

While the Straits area has an advantage in the Mackinac Bridge as a visual focal point, another idea for St. Ignace would be to implement artistic, educational, and children-themed attractions in the Kiwanis Beach area of town. Something striking that draws both children and adults would connect residents and visitors to the waterfront, the report said, and could be as simple as a sculpture that children are welcome to climb on and take photographs with.

Mr. Burden also recommended educating public officials about some of the principles he talked about, since they are often the ones to make final decisions about changes in the community.

The City of St. Ignace received a copy of the report, and City Manager Eric Dodson said copies have been passed on to members of the Downtown Development Authority, the St. Ignace Planning Commission, and City Council for review.

“Even on the walk,” Mr. Dodson said, “you realized we can do it better and make the town more walkable, even with some of the little things.”

Some improvements he would like to see in the future, he said, would be extending and connecting sidewalks in the city, but any such construction would depend on committing the funding to do so. The city will work with the school district on extending sidewalks near the school campus through Safe Routes To School and other grant programs, Mr. Dodson said.

Similar reports were also given to the communities of Manistique, Munising, and Sault Ste. Marie.

Anyone who wants to find out more about walkability in St. Ignace can contact Jeanette O'Rourke from the Strategic Alliance for Health at 643- 8689. Residents are also encouraged to submit photographs of areas around the community that could be improved by e-mailing them to Mrs. O'Rourke at jorourke@saulttribe.net or by dropping them off at her office at the Lambert Center at 255 Wah Seh Drive.